


Bath

by DictionaryWrites



Category: Discworld - Terry Pratchett
Genre: Bathing/Washing, Bathtubs, Crying, Desperation, Kissing, M/M, Overstimulation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-10
Updated: 2019-04-10
Packaged: 2020-01-11 03:24:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,334
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18421818
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DictionaryWrites/pseuds/DictionaryWrites
Summary: Now with sensation actually reaching his skin, Dripp lets Henry draw him into a bath.





	Bath

 “Aa— _Aah_ , Henry, _Henry_ —!”

“Shh, shh,” Henry said, his hands on Dripp’s shoulders as he pushed the other wizard gently down into the steaming bathwater, which was shifting and rushing against the edges of the bath because of the way Dripp’s legs were shaking. Dripp’s body was _filthy_ with grime and the yellow stains of dried sweat, which was nothing to say for the front of his chest or his arms. His face wasn’t so bad, just because Henry usually had a go at it, but—

He was sensitive, now.

No magic in a _week_ , no spells in a week, and Henry would have to sort out a way of rationing it out, to make sure he didn’t numb his skin out again, to make sure he didn’t end up so completely unfeeling of every touch, and now—

“It’s too hot, it’s too _hot_ ,” Dripp whined, and Henry pushed him the full way down into the water, so that his bony arse touched down against the base of the bath, and Dripp heaved in a gasp, his eyes widening, and he whimpered. “Oh, Henry—”

They’d been in hotter baths than this, Henry knew. Henry preferred his water scalding, but _this_ water was only a little hotter than lukewarm, and Dripp’s skin just—

“It’s okay,” Henry said. “I’ve got you, Horace, it’s okay.” He touched his fingers, wet and warm from the water, and Dripp shuddered, gasping and whimpering. It would even out, the Senior Wrangler said. At the moment, he was just feeling things fully for the first time in _months_ , perhaps even years, without the magic he worked with _frying_ his nerves, and he was left shivering and gasping even at little things.

When Henry kissed him, half the time he burst into tears, grabbed at him, desperate for him not to stop.

“It’s too much,” Dripp said. “Come in the bath with me, Henry, _please_ , come in the bath with me.”

“Okay,” Henry said, and he leaned back for a moment, drawing off his robe and setting it aside, and he was slow about stepping into the bath behind Dripp, who was trembling, and he leaned forward, pressing a kiss to the back of Dripp’s neck. Dripp cried out, and Henry said, “Shhh, shh…”

He reached for the sponge, one of the soft sponges that wouldn’t be too rough on Dripp’s skin, and he poured a lot of liquid soap over it, inhaling the thick scent of lavender that rose up into the air to meet his nose. He set the sponge in the centre of Dripp’s back, and immediately, Dripp keened, reaching back to grab for Henry’s other hand. Henry interlinked their fingers, letting out more quietly soothing sounds as he scrubbed in gentle circles between Dripp’s shoulders, and watched the filth and grime come away from Dripp’s skin as he poured water over the streaks of soap with a little jug.

Dripp heaved in a gasp, and Henry squeezed his hand as he kept scrubbing at the muck, seeing it give way to the sallow, pale tones of flesh underneath. They didn’t have to get _everything_ off, right away, not if it would leave Dripp sobbing with the oversensitivity, but he wanted to get _most_ of it—

“Lean forward, up on your knees,” Henry murmured against the back of Dripp’s neck, and he was much more gentle about washing the backs of Dripp’s trembling thighs and between his legs, and Dripp gasped and choked and moaned at the sensation. Henry couldn’t imagine what it must feel like, to go from being utterly numb to feeling _everything_ , and he just wished he could take Dripp to bed and lie down with him, so that everything could be alright without him having to do _this_. “Does it hurt?”

“Nooo,” Dripp whined, shaking his head, and Henry gently touched his hip, letting him sit back. Dripp was slow about leaning back into the water, and he gently drew his fingers through his hair, scrubbing shampoo into his scalp. Dripp was kicking and shifting his knees, although Henry didn’t think he meant to, and Henry tried not to wince as he rinsed the rest of his hair, trying to get out the grease and muck clinging to it. “Cut it,” Dripp said.

“I was going to do that tomorrow,” Henry said, gently massing Dripp’s scalp and watching the way he shifted in the water, watching the way his hips jolted.

“No, there’s too much of it, Henry, I hate it when it touches my neck, I hate it—”

“Okay, okay,” Henry said, and he reached for the scissors on the edge of the sink, sitting back down in the bath and getting Dripp to lean his head over the side for him to cut it. It didn’t matter that it’d be on the floor: they were going to leave a mess anyway, and he did his best to be quick about cutting off Dripp’s long hair, which was lank and limp in wetness. He trimmed his beard a little in the same moment, but Dripp was on the verge of tears, and he gently set the scissors down. “Can we swap around, so I can do your front?”

Dripp nodded.

It was different, washing Dripp’s feet and calves and thighs, kneeling in the bath and seeing the way that he _squirmed_ , but it was nothing compared to Dripp’s reaction when Henry started on his belly, which was always ticklish. Dripp grabbed Henry by the shoulders, his fingernails digging painfully into Henry’s shoulders as he shuddered and jumped and cried out at the gentle movement of the sponge over his belly.

“I’m nearly done,” Henry promised, “I’m nearly done, nearly…”

The arms were easy.

The chest made Dripp writhe.

Touching his nipples made him hot and bothered even before, but now? Now, Dripp was all but screaming, and Henry knew that his shoulders would be a mess of bloody scratches by the time they were done, Dripp grinding mindlessly into Henry’s lap as the sponge rushed over his neck and his chest, at the sides of it—

“ _Henry_ ,” Dripp gasped. “I want to come, I want to—”

“I know, I know,” Henry said. “Just a little more, just a little—”

He wasn’t _clean_ , entirely, when Henry drew him out of the bath, but he was much cleaner than he had been, and Henry gently patted him clean with a warm towel, the fluffiest and softest one he’d been able to dig out of the stores. Dripp was shivering as Henry drew him into the bedroom, and he really didn’t need to do much: almost as soon as he wrapped his hand around Dripp’s cock, he was coming, sobbing against Henry’s shoulder as his hips jerked into his hand.

“I feel like I’m on fire,” Dripp said miserably, after he’d finished gasping and riding out the aftershocks, and Henry kissed his temple and his cheek, gently wiping off his hand and Dripp’s belly, and he gently pulled Dripp under the blanket in the bed, wrapping his arms tightly around him as he blew the curtain out. Dripp shuddered as he pressed his face against Henry’s naked chest, and Henry didn’t think Dripp’s skin had ever felt so _smooth_ , didn’t think Dripp had ever felt so clean—

“I’m sorry,” Henry said. “It’ll get easier.”

“Thank you,” Dripp mumbled against Henry’s chest, grabbing at him as if Henry was his only anchor, and Henry squeezed his thighs gently, feeling the way it made Dripp shiver. “I’m sorry, for crying, for struggling, I needed it, I needed it, thank you.”

Henry kissed his head again, and felt the shift in Dripp’s breathing – and it was so easy, now, he breathed so _easily_ , didn’t snuffle or snore or choke and wake up – as he fell asleep.

**♔** **☩** **♔** **☩** **♔** **☩** **♔**

In the morning, Dripp saw the mess he’d made of Henry’s back, and apologised a hundred times over, but when they started kissing, Dripp melted into incoherence, and sprawled like liquid underneath Henry’s mouth.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Hit me up [on Dreamwidth](https://dictionarywrites.dreamwidth.org/2287.html). You can send requests [on Tumblr](http://patricianandclerk.tumblr.com/ask), too. Requests always open.


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